Centering device for car-couplings.



L. BOIRAULT. GENTEBING DEVICE FOR GAR COUPLINGS.

APPLICATION FILED A G. 22, 1913. 1 1 O2, 2 Patented= July 7, 1914.

WITNESSES INVENTOK 711 TC lows [Bow/ra ATTORNEYS 1": NoRRvs PETERS cn wAsmrmwN. n. c

- UNITED STATES PATENT @FFICE.

LOUIS BOIRAULT, 0F PARIS, FRANCE.

CENTERING DEVICE FOR CAR-COUPLINGS.

To whom it may concern v Be it known that I, Louis BOIRAULT, a citizen of the Republic of France, residing at 58 Rue Taitbout, Paris, in the Republic of France, engineer, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Centering Devices for Car-Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a device for the purpose of so directing the coupling of bogie railway cars, with respect to the chassis of such cars, when running either on the curved or straight parts of the line, that the head of the coupling will be kept substantially in the axis of such line. The most simple devices of this character comprise an arm secured to the bogie and extending according to its longitudinal axis under the coupling to which it is connected by an articulated joint. In other cases, the connection between the bogie and the coupling is obtained by means of a system more or less complicated of levers and connectingrods, with the contingent intercalation of springs which allow slight movements of the coupling with regard to the bogie.

The present directing device is distinguished in that the directing arm secured to the coupling terminates at a certain distance to the left or right of the coupling and is connected with the latter by a telescopic transversal connecting-rod in which a single spring is so arranged as to resist by compression both the expansion and the contraction of such connecting-rod; the form of connection of the latter, on the one hand, with the bogie arm and, on the other hand, with the coupling, are such that they allow the said rod to oscillate in all directions for the purpose of not stopping either the vertical and longitudinal oscillations or the lateral oscillations of the coupling. The arrangement of such yielding transversal rod interposed between the coupling and the arm offset secured to the bogie has the advantage of securing the direction of the coupling in all its positions in thus avoiding the upset which may occur in apparatus comprising two opposing springs ion account of an incidental weakening of one of such springs, and in avoiding also the inexactitude of the middle position of the coupling which takes place in apparatus wherein a connecting-rod has then to pass a deadcenter, and in avoiding furthermore the Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 22, 1913.

Patented July '7, 1914.

Serial No. 786,109,

complication and the encumbrance of apparatus in whichlevors are comprised.

One embodiment of this invention is shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the directing device applied to a coupling of a well known system; one part of the bogie being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail front elevation of the device, the yielding connecting-rod being shown in section. Fig. 4 is a detail plan view, also showing such rod in sect-ion.

In the drawings, a designates the coupling, the swinging axis a of which is located on the axis of the chassis b, and can swing in any direction through a wide opening 5 of the front cross-framing. To the bogie c, the swinging axis of which is also located on the chassis axis, at a certain distance from the axis a is secured a forked arm (Z, the end al of which lies at a certain distance on one side of the longitudinal vertical plane of the bogie and is connected with the coupling by a yielding connectingrod 6 transversally directed. Such rod comprises a cap 6 a rod 6 slidable according to the axis of such cap and carrying a piston c and a spring 6 compressed between such piston and the bottom of the cap. The end al is flattened in the vertical direction and engaged in the cap 6 between the piston e and a brace 6 projections (Z prevent the end (Z from leaving the cap. Furthermore, the rod. 6 is engaged with some amount of play with an eyelet a of a plate a which is held in a recess. a of a transversal piece a of the coupling so as not to be able to swing around the axis of the draw-rod a. The action of the spring a has the efi'ect of clamping the eyelet a between the bottom of the cap e and the head 6 of the rod e When the bogie oscillates in the direction of the arrow A, the arm 6Z1 pulls the cap 6 by acting on the brace 0 the pull is trans mitted by the spring 6* to the piston e and to the rod 6 the head of which pulls the eyelet a and moves the coupling through the medium of the plate o When the bogie oscillates in the inverse direction, the arm (Z pushes the piston 6 against the spring 6 so that the cap 6 is yieldingly pushed against the eyelet a and that the coupling is again moved. through the nosdium of the plate a In both cases, the spring 6 works for compression purposes. The play of the end (Z in the cap and that of the rod e in the eyelet a allows the connectingrod to move in any direction. However, the pressure which the spring 6 produces against the fiat faces of the eyelet of, of the cap of the piston 6 and of the endcZ tends to hold yieldingly the difiere-nt parts in a position relatively determined,

according to the axis of such cap and having a head, a piston on such rod, a spring compressed between the piston and the bottom of the cap, and a, bolt across the opening of the cap, the saidarm'being engaged between the said piston and the said bolt.

2. The combination of a railway car having a coupling apparatus pivoted to the main chassis and tothe bogie, an arm secured to the bogie in such a manner that i I its end lies at a certain distance on one side of the axis of the draft, and a spring telescopic connection, theends of which are ,Gop'ies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Washington, .D. 0.

attached to the said arm and to the coupling apparatus and of which the longitudinal axis is directed transversally to the axis of the coupling apparatus. I

3. The combination of an arm having a flat end provided with spaced projections, a U shaped cap the branches of which extend between the projections of the said end of the arm, a piston slidable between the branches of the cap, a spring between such piston and the bottom of the cap, and

a bolt in the open end of the cap, the fiat end of the arm being located between such bolt and the said piston.

4. The combination of a car coupling head, a vertical plate secured to such head and hanging below the latter, a vertical and flat eyelet at the lower end of such plate, the plane of such eyelet being vertical and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the said coupling head, an arm one end of which is adapted to be secured to a car bogie and the other end of which is fiat, and a spring telescopic connection connecting the fiat end of such arm with the fiat eyelet of the said plate, the ends of suchconnection being adapted to bear flatly against the said end and the said eyelet for the purpose specified. In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention I havesigned my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LOUIS BOIRAULT.

Witnesses: 7

Hanson C. Coxn, Mansion Roux.

Commissioner of Patents, 

